A native of Norfolk, VA, Driesell played center on Duke's basketball squads in 1953 and 1954 under head coach Harold Bradley. His senior year, the Blue Devils won the state championship with an 18-8 record.

Driesell took his basketball knowledge into the coaching ranks and has become one of the legends in the field. He is among only 13 coaches who have reached 600 victories, averaging 20 wins a season. He has won 14 conference championships during his career which began at Davidson in 1960 and continued at Maryland (1969-86) and James Madison (1988-present). In College Park he won the 1984 ACC Championship and produced a record of 348-159. At JMU, he has gone to four straight NIT's.

Eight times Driesell has been named the conference coach of the year, including twice in the ACC in 1975 and 1980.